For wrinkle-free holiday outfits, you've got to choose the right material. If you’re not sure whether an item will wrinkle, grab a corner of the fabric, and crush it with your hand for 30 seconds. If the fabric doesn’t wrinkle or the wrinkles smooth out after a minute, this would be a good item to pack. For wrinkle-free travel clothes, avoid 100% cotton and linen, both of which wrinkle easily.
Synthetic clothing such as Lycra, nylon and polyester and knits tend to travel well.
To reduce wrinkling
- Layer plastic bags between your clothes (plastic from dry cleaned items is ideal). This can also protect clothes from any accidental spills in your suitcase.
- You can also pack with a sheet of tissue paper between each item (the paper helps to cut down the friction which causes wrinkles).
- Use the ‘roll’ method, which (obviously) means rolling your clothes. Lay tops facedown, fold in the sleeves and roll from the bottom up. For pants, put the legs together and roll from the waist down.
- Pack shoes at the bottom of your case, stuffed with underwear, socks and belts. This way they won't crush and crease your clothes.
- Hang up your clothes as soon as you unpack at your destination.
- Use packing cubes. They help to keep your clothes wrinkle-free whether you roll or fold them.
Avoid under-packing
While you might be tempted to leave space for shopping while you’re away, extra room means items can shift and crumple or crease. Fill empty spaces with scrunched up plastic bags.
Avoid over packing!
It’s important not to over-pack either (especially if you’re only bringing a cabin bag) since that’s a sure-fire way to create creases.
Travel iron
You could take a mini-iron or steamer, but do you really want to be spending your precious holiday time ironing? Thought not! Here are some clever ways to get rid of the wrinkles while you’re doing something else.
- Put wrinkled items in the tumble dryer with a couple of ice cubes.
- Dampen the wrinkles with a spray of water, smooth out the fabric then hang.
- Hang your crumpled clothes in the bathroom while you shower. The steam will relax the wrinkles.
More helpful suitcase packing tips and how to save money when travelling overseas
